Media distribution system, communication system, distribution control apparatus, and distribution control method

Abstract

A distribution control apparatus assigns one of the one or more media distribution servers that is selected based on a reserved bandwidth of the media distribution server for distributing the media information and a maximum reserved bandwidth available to the media distribution server, as a media distribution server that distributes the media information to one or more communication apparatuses at a collective site, the collective site including one or more sites that share the same media information, and transmits, in response to a connection request to connect to the assigned distribution media distribution server, transmitted from a particular communication apparatus of the one or more communication apparatuses at a particular site of the collective site, a connection response to the particular communication apparatus at the particular site.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A media distribution system comprising:
 one or more media distribution servers configured to distribute media information to one or more communication apparatuses at one or more sites, each of the one or more media distribution servers including one or more rooms, each of the rooms connected to one or more of the sites, the media information being shared between the sites; and 
 a distribution control apparatus configured to control distribution of the media information between the one or more media distribution servers and the one or more communication apparatuses, 
 the distribution control apparatus including first circuitry configured to: 
 assign one of the one or more media distribution servers that is selected based on a reserved bandwidth of the media distribution server for distributing the media information and a maximum reserved bandwidth available to the media distribution server, as a media distribution server that distributes the media information to one or more communication apparatuses at a collective site, the collective site including one or more sites that share the same media information; and 
 transmit, in response to a connection request to connect to the assigned distributable media distribution server, transmitted from a particular communication apparatus of the one or more communication apparatuses at a particular site of the collective site, a connection response to the particular communication apparatus at the particular site, 
 the distributable media distribution server including second circuitry configured to 
 transmit, in response to the connection request from the distribution control apparatus, the media information transmitted from the particular communication apparatus at the particular site of the collective site, to another communication apparatus at another site different from the particular site of the collective site, 
 wherein at each of the sites, when a room reserved bandwidth of the room is allocated, the media distribution server controls an uplink bandwidth for said each site and a downlink bandwidth for said each site, used for media information of said each site, such that the expression
   BR>=Σuplink bandwidths( i )+Σdownlink bandwidths( i,j )
 
 
 
       is satisfied, where BR is a room reserved bandwidth, i corresponds to sites to which there are uploads, and j corresponds to sites where there are downloads. 
     
     
       2. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry is configured to 
 assign, based on the reserved bandwidth exceeding the maximum reserved bandwidth, another media distribution server supporting the reserved bandwidth, in place of the media distribution server that is selected, as the media distribution server that distributes the media information to the one or more communication apparatuses at the collective site. 
 
     
     
       3. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry is configured to 
 assign, based on the reserved bandwidth exceeding the maximum reserved bandwidth, an additional media distribution server, in place of the media distribution server that is selected, as a new media distribution server capable of distributing the media information to the communication apparatuses at the collective site. 
 
     
     
       4. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry is configured to 
 cause, based on the reserved bandwidth exceeding the maximum reserved bandwidth, the collective site managed by the media distribution server that is selected to be managed by another media distribution server, and 
 assign the media distribution server that is selected, as the media distribution server that distributes the media information to the communication apparatuses at the collective site. 
 
     
     
       5. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry of the distribution control apparatus is configured to transmit a reconnection request for reconnecting to another media distribution server that is newly assigned to the communication apparatuses at the sites of the collective site. 
 
     
     
       6. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry of the distribution control apparatus is further configured to: 
 calculate a difference between the reserved bandwidth and the maximum reserved bandwidth, and 
 assign another media distribution server supporting the reserved bandwidth, based on the difference that is calculated. 
 
     
     
       7. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry is further configured to: 
 determine whether the reserved bandwidth is within the maximum reserved bandwidth; 
 assign the selected media distribution server as the media distribution server that distributes the media information, based on a determination that the reserved bandwidth is within the reserved bandwidth; and 
 assign another media distribution server supporting the reserved bandwidth, in place of the selected media distribution server, based on a determination that the reserved bandwidth is not within the reserved bandwidth. 
 
     
     
       8. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the connection response includes destination information specifying the media distribution server that distributes the media information as a destination, and 
 wherein the second circuitry of the distributable media distribution server is further configured to receive the destination information transmitted from the communication apparatus at said another site. 
 
     
     
       9. The media distribution system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first circuitry of the distribution control apparatus is further configured to: 
 generate an access token in response to at least one of a participation request transmitted from the particular communication apparatus at the particular site to participate in the collective site or another participation request transmitted from the communication apparatus at said another site to participate in the collective site, 
 the access token including: collective site identification information that identifies the collective site; and one of particular-site identification information that identifies the particular site or another-site identification information that identifies said another site, and 
 transmit the generated access token to the communication apparatuses at the sites of the collective site. 
 
     
     
       10. The media distribution system according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the first circuitry of the distribution control apparatus is configured to transmit, in response to a connection request transmitted from the communication apparatuses at the sites and including the access token to request a connection to the media distribution server that distributes the media information, a connection response to the communication apparatuses at the sites. 
 
     
     
       11. A communication system comprising:
 the one or more communication apparatuses at the one or more sites; and 
 the media distribution system according to  claim 1 , 
 the communication apparatuses at the one or more sites including the communication apparatus at said another site, 
 the communication apparatus at said another site including 
 another circuitry configured to control a display to display the media information, transmitted from the media distribution server that distributes the media information. 
 
     
     
       12. The communication system according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the another circuitry causes the display to display a standby screen including a standby notification. 
 
     
     
       13. A distribution control apparatus for controlling distribution of media information between one or more communication apparatuses at one or more sites and one or more media distribution servers that distribute the media information to the communication apparatuses at the sites, the distribution control apparatus comprising circuitry configured to:
 assign one of the one or more media distribution servers that is selected based on a reserved bandwidth of the media distribution server for distributing the media information and a maximum reserved bandwidth available to the media distribution server, as a media distribution server that distributes the media information to one or more communication apparatuses at a collective site, the collective site including one or more sites that share the same media information, each of the one or more media distribution servers including one or more rooms, each of the rooms connected to one or more of the sites, the media information being shared between the sites; and 
 transmit, in response to a connection request to connect to the assigned distribution media distribution server, transmitted from a particular communication apparatus of the one or more communication apparatuses at a particular site of the collective site, a connection response to the particular communication apparatus at the particular site, 
 wherein at each of the sites, when a room reserved bandwidth of the room is allocated, the media distribution server controls an uplink bandwidth for said each site and a downlink bandwidth for said each site, used for media information of said each site, such that the expression
   BR>=Σuplink bandwidths( i )+Σdownlink bandwidths( i,j )
 
 
 
       is satisfied, where BR is a room reserved bandwidth, i corresponds to sites to which there are uploads, and j corresponds to sites where there are downloads. 
     
     
       14. A distribution control method executed by a distribution control apparatus for controlling distribution of media information between one or more communication apparatuses at one or more sites and one or more media distribution servers that distribute the media information to the communication apparatuses at the sites, the distribution control method comprising:
 assigning one of the one or more media distribution servers that is selected based on a reserved bandwidth of the media distribution server for distributing the media information and a maximum reserved bandwidth available to the media distribution server, as a media distribution server that distributes the media information to one or more communication apparatuses at a collective site, the collective site including one or more sites that share the same media information, each of the one or more media distribution servers including one or more rooms, each of the rooms connected to one or more of the sites, the media information being shared between the sites; and 
 transmitting, in response to a connection request to connect to the assigned distribution media distribution server, transmitted from a particular communication apparatus of the one or more communication apparatuses at a particular site of the collective site, a connection response to the particular communication apparatus at the particular site, 
 wherein at each of the sites, when a room reserved bandwidth of the room is allocated, the media distribution server controls an uplink bandwidth for said each site and a downlink bandwidth for said each site, used for media information of said each site, such that the expression
   BR>=Σuplink bandwidths( i )+Σdownlink bandwidths( i,j )
 
 
 
       is satisfied, where BR is a room reserved bandwidth, i corresponds to sites to which there are uploads, and j corresponds to sites where there are downloads.